From MrBeast in Mexico to HIV treatments from the Vikings: Here's the latest
Throughout history, cultures have left behind a trail of breadcrumbs for archaeologists to follow. New sites and artifacts are found all the time, revealing forgotten secrets of the past.
Here are some of the latest discoveries:
Routine excavation' takes a turn when 'rare' ancient Roman artifact emerges
In Leuven, Belgium, archaeologists unearthed a 1,700-year-old wooden water pipe during a routine excavation, marking a first-of-its-kind find for the area. The pipe, preserved in the marshy soil, highlights the historical significance of Leuven as a Roman settlement with a water supply system. | Published May 9 | Read More |
Ancient stonemason tools — some never seen before — unearthed in Romanian forest
In Romania, a villager stumbled upon a 2,000-year-old set of Dacian stonemason tools near the Măgura Călanului limestone quarry. The toolkit, containing 15 iron implements, is considered 'one of the most varied and complete' from European antiquity. | Published May 9 | Read More |
1,300-year-old gold — hidden under Buddha monument — found in Thailand. See it
In Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, workers discovered a collection of gold, silver and bronze items hidden beneath a reclining Buddha statue at Wat Dhammachak Semaram temple. The find includes 33 items, such as gold rings and silver earrings, dating back 1,300 years. | Published May 12 | Read More |
MrBeast's video on ancient temples draws criticism from Mexican officials
In Mexico, YouTuber MrBeast faced criticism from local heritage officials for a video about ancient Maya temples, which they said distorted information. Despite following legal guidelines, the video was accused of misrepresenting events and using replicas instead of authentic artifacts. | Published May 13 | Read More |
Secret to treating HIV came thousands of years before virus ever appeared. How?
Researchers traced a genetic mutation that provides resistance to HIV back to a single individual near the Black Sea 6,700 to 9,000 years ago. This mutation, found in 18-25% of Denmark's population, has been key in developing HIV treatments. | Published May 13 | Read More |
McClatchy News continues to follow the discovery of intriguing archaeological discoveries from around the globe. Check back to see the latest finds.
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New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
New genetic test can predict if a child will be obese as an adult — before they even turn 5
The future is uncertain — but your kid's waistline as an adult might not be. Scientists have developed a groundbreaking test that can identify children as young as five who are at increased risk of becoming severely obese later in life. The tool could one day help parents and doctors intervene early, setting young people on a healthier path before the pounds start piling on. Advertisement 3 Approximately 1 in 5 US children and adolescents have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pixel-Shot – That's significant, because America is being weighed down by an obesity epidemic — and it's only expected to get worse without major changes. Today, CDC data shows that more than two in five US adults are obese. By 2050, studies suggest that number could jump to two in three. Obesity greatly increases the risk of serious health problems, many of which are now appearing at younger ages, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, mental health disorders, cancer and even premature death. Advertisement To build the test, more than 600 scientists from around the globe crunched genetic data from over 5 million people. They used that information to develop ancestry-specific 'polygenic risk scores.' These work like powerful calculators, adding up thousands of gene variants linked to a higher adult body mass index (BMI) to estimate a person's chances of one day becoming obese. 'What makes the score so powerful is its ability to predict, before the age of five, whether a child is likely to develop obesity in adulthood, well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood,' Roelof Smit, a genetic epidemiologist at the University of Copenhagen, said in a statement. Advertisement 'Intervening at this point can have a huge impact.' 3 People may be able to overcome their higher genetic risk for obesity with lifestyle interventions, research suggests. ÐÑина ÐелÑдий – So far, the tool's performance has been impressive — at least for some groups. Advertisement Among people of European ancestry, the score explained about 17.6% of the risk for developing obesity. 'That's a pretty powerful risk indicator for obesity, but it still leaves open a lot that is unknown,' Dr. Roy Kim, a pediatric endocrinologist not involved in the study, told NBC News. In other words, more than 80% of the risk still comes down to other factors, including where you live, what you eat and the amount you move. Still, the test outperformed the current methods doctors use to estimate a person's future obesity risk, proving to be about twice as effective. 3 There are thousands of genetic variants that can influence a person's chances of becoming obese. LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS – But for people with non-European ancestry, the picture got murkier. In rural Ugandan populations, for example, the score explained just 2.2% of obesity risk. Researchers said the gap likely reflects two key issues: greater genetic variation found in African populations and a lack of diversity in the genetic data used to build the tool. Of the more than 5 million people whose data was used, 71.1% had European ancestry. Just 14.4% had American ancestry, 8.4% East Asian, 4.6% African and only 1.5% South Asian. Advertisement In addition to predicting a person's risk of obesity, the scientists also looked at how genetic predisposition affects a person's response to weight-loss efforts like diet and exercise. They found that people with a higher genetic risk were more likely to benefit from lifestyle changes — but also more likely to regain weight once those efforts stopped. This, the researchers said, challenges the idea that genetic predisposition to obesity can't be overcome, while also highlighting the importance of maintaining healthy habits over time to sustain long-term results.
Medscape
17 hours ago
- Medscape
Elevated Leukocyte Counts Signal Diabetes Risk in HIV
TOPLINE: Higher leukocyte counts, predominantly within the normal range, independently predicted new-onset diabetes in individuals with HIV infection, potentially identifying an increased risk for diabetes up to 10 years before diagnosis. METHODOLOGY: Researchers examined the association between blood leukocyte counts and the risk for new-onset diabetes among individuals of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study from January 2000 to August 2023. They included 732 people with HIV infection and diabetes (cases) and 2032 matched control individuals with HIV infection but without diabetes. The median age of all individuals was 54 years, and both groups consisted of approximately 78.7% men. New-onset diabetes was defined using the Expert Committee on the Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus criteria: a confirmed plasma glucose level ≥ 7.0 mmol/L (fasting) or ≥ 11.1 mmol/L (non-fasting) with typical symptoms or an A1c level ≥ 6.5%. At each 6-monthly visit, the latest leukocyte count was assessed at different intervals before the matching date in cases and control individuals. TAKEAWAY: The median of the most recent leukocyte count was significantly higher in cases than in control individuals (6200 vs 5900 cells per microliter; P < .001). Higher leukocyte counts in cases vs control individuals remained significant at multiple timepoints before the diagnosis of diabetes — at years 2 (P = .016), 3 (P < .001), 5 (P = .013), 8 (P < .001), and 10 (P = .003). A multivariable analysis showed that compared with individuals in the lowest leukocyte quintile, those in the highest quintile had a significantly increased risk for diabetes (adjusted odds ratio, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.71-3.57). Other risk factors included a 2.23-times higher diabetes risk with dyslipidemia, 2.83-times higher risk with overweight, and 2.29-times higher risk with at least 1 year of integrase inhibitor use. IN PRACTICE: 'Knowledge that high leukocytes, mostly within the normal range, increase DM [diabetes] risk 10 years in advance and by more than twice in 20% of people with HIV (ie, those in the top leukocyte quintile) may motivate clinicians to place even more emphasis on the optimization of DM risk factors (weight, nutrition, physical activity) and, perhaps, ART [antiretroviral therapy] selection in such persons,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Sophia C. Meyer and Zoe Klein, University Center for Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases Service, Kantonsspital Baselland, Bruderholz, Switzerland. It was published online on August 01, 2025, in HIV Medicine. LIMITATIONS: The study population predominantly consisted of men, White individuals, and relatively young individuals, potentially limiting generalizability. Nutrition, differential leukocyte counts, inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin 6 are not routinely measured in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, nor is A1c, which may have led to the underestimation of diabetes cases in the present study. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, the Swiss HIV Cohort Study Research Foundation, and the Swiss National Science Foundation. Several authors reported receiving unrestricted grants, consulting fees, fees for being on the data safety monitoring or advisory board, and other financial and nonfinancial support from pharmaceutical companies, including Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare, Pfizer, and Merck. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Medscape
a day ago
- Medscape
Do Women With Acute ACS Face Unnecessary Bleeding Risk?
A consensus statement from two European cardiology organizations contends antithrombotic treatment for myocardial infarction and angina overlooks sex differences that heighten bleeding risk in women. Compared with men, women treated for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are at a greater risk for in-hospital bleeding related to invasive cardiac procedures and more long-term outpatient bleeding events, according to the statement from the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions and the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis. Antithrombotic therapies such as heparin and fondaparinux used in invasive ACS procedures typically have a similar efficacy in women and men, but women have a higher bleeding risk of these agents, said Davide Capodanno, MD, PhD, professor of cardiology at the University of Catania, Catania, Italy, and co-author of the consensus statement. Some ways to reduce bleeding risk in women are to adjust antithrombotic dosing for body weight and kidney function, Capodanno told Medscape Medical News , and to opt for radial access over femoral access for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). 'Our paper shows that women still experience delays in diagnosis and treatment, receive excessive antithrombotic doses more often, and remain underrepresented in trials,' Capodanno said. 'All of this creates the need for clear, pragmatic, sex-informed recommendations.' Physiologic Differences Hormonal differences between men and women play an important role in bleeding risk. Estrogen promotes the production of prostacyclin, increases the availability of nitric oxide, and reduces platelet aggregation. These features might protect against the earlier onset of coronary artery disease, but fluctuations in hormonal status due to the menstrual cycle, use of oral contraceptives, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy can also influence thrombotic and bleeding risks. Sex differences in protease-activated receptor signaling pathways, smaller coronary artery sizes, and a cascade of other factors contribute to the greater risk for bleeding associated with ACS treatment (Figure). Although ACS typically affects postmenopausal women, the incidence is increasing in premenopausal women, whose bleeding risk is even more elevated because of lower platelet reactivity due to estrogen receptors on the platelet surface. Data from nearly 4000 women and 10,000 men undergoing PCI showed women younger than 50 years were four times more likely than men of the same age to experience major and minor bleeding events associated with stenting. Wanted: More Sex-Specific Data Women also often experience delays in the diagnosis of ACS and referral for invasive treatments, such as PCI, for their condition. Clinicians still lack strong evidence to help them address sex differences in clotting and response to anticoagulation, Capodanno suggested. Awareness is improving, but there's still work to be done. 'We simply don't have enough sex-powered data to guide all our decisions. Women remain underrepresented in clinical trials, which limits the strength of sex-specific evidence,' Capodanno said. 'We need to push for more equitable research by enrolling and retaining more women in clinical studies and ensuring that results are analyzed and published separately for men and women.' Sunil V. Rao, MD, lead author of the 2025 joint clinical practice guidelines on ACS from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, agreed. 'There are very few clinical trials of bleeding reduction that have strong female representation,' said Rao, deputy director of the Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology and director of interventional cardiology at NYU Langone Heart in New York City. One such study, the SAFE-PCI for Women randomized trial Rao led, compared radial access and femoral access in women undergoing stenting. The research showed using radial instead of femoral access for the intervention reduces the risk for bleeding in women. 'We need more trials like this to help guide the clinical community on how to mitigate the risks of antithrombotic therapy in women,' Rao said. Take-Home: Male Isn't Norm How can individual clinicians adjust their practice? 'We recommend actively reducing bleeding risk — for example, using radial access whenever possible, using ultrasound guidance if femoral access is needed, and always avoiding overdosing by adjusting for weight and kidney function,' Capodanno said. Prompt treatment is key to avoid sex-related delays in starting antithrombotic medications. 'Also, be mindful of sex-specific presentations in ACS,' he added. Among these is myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries, which includes spontaneous coronary artery dissection, responsible for 25%-35% of myocardial infarctions in women younger than 50 years. According to Rao, European guidelines are generally consistent with North American recommendations with respect to antithrombotic strategies for ACS. 'I don't think we can make strong recommendations to change practice just yet,' he said. 'The message really is to counsel patients, especially female patients, on the benefit-risk balance of antithrombotic therapy, to use evidence-based approaches to reduce bleeding risk — such as radial access — and to refer female patients for clinical trials when possible.' Capodanno reported payment for speaker fees and advisory board participation from Bristol Myers Squibb, Daiichi Sankyo, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Terumo. Rao reported no relevant financial conflicts of interest.
